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Salmond: Treasury is misleading

The Treasury’s analysis is without a shred of credibility says Salmond

ALEX SALMOND has accused the Treasury of making “deeply flawed” claims about the financial impact of Scottish independence ahead of a key report to be published this week.

The report, described by Treasury officials as the most comprehensive piece of work yet on the financial impact of independence over the next 20 years, argues that remaining as part of the UK will protect people in Scotland from declining oil revenues, as well as the financial burden of setting up new institutions.

It claims 180 new Scottish government departments would need to be created at a total cost of £2.7bn — an assertion that drew an angry response last night from the first minister, who described the findings as “deeply flawed and deeply misleading”.

“The Treasury are either guilty of a horrendous blunder or it is a deliberate and deeply dishonest attempt to deceive,” he added.